Racing Beats
by Rinny Queenston
Summary: Awakening in a forest in the middle of disaster, Iceland tries to outrun the shadow of terror that's ever pursuing him. Oneshot.


**I sincerely apologize this spamming people's inboxes before. wasn't accepting it at all...**

**_Warnings: Character Death._  
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**_I do no own Hetalia nor it's characters. If I did I wouldn't be writing fanfiction like this.  
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The night was cold and chilly, a breeze howling between the branches of the tall birches that towered over me, dwarfing me even more than usual as I was lying on the ground. I couldn't remember why I ran here… to my little sanctuary where the Walkers couldn't get me; the Hill was too steep for them, their legs almost like lead and unable to be lifted to scale the Hill, all sides steep and needing the intelligence and strength to climb up the roots of trees that perched themselves at the top. The earth was damp under my cheek and stomach, the moisture barely soaking through my coat otherwise. I felt like I had been hit by a truck… my body ached as I tried to rise up from my position on the ground, tucked in between the two halves of a fallen log that had split in two, a bed of moss growing between the walls of bark.

Blinking into the darkness I let my eyes adapt, yet the sights seemed different; everything was slightly blurrier and I could see more in the dark than normal, as well I could smell the pines and the rotting bark of the log I was sleeping in when I usually wouldn't be able to notice. I carefully got up and sat on one side of the log, perfectly stable from being smothered in dirt as a foundation. My bones were stiff and as I stretched I heard multiple crackles come from my joints. Letting my arms drop to my lap I turned to look through the trees in the direction of the Base, a place where several of us nations have set up camp to survive the Walkers until we found a way to get out of the damn valley. The valley was heavily forested, and a shopping complex was settled in the middle, a large store that used to sell clothing, an ice rink on the other side, and to create a three sided box the east side held an older simple store that sold mostly clothes and a few other items, and between all those stores was a large parking lot that touched all buildings, lamps that were electric free were now powered by flames that were intensified with reflective wrap, basking the darkness with a reddish-orange glow. Just north of that was the Base; literally. The larger building in the complex sheltered the Base from wind, but it was also dangerous. The shopping center was also called the Lair, where all the Walkers gathered. Normally the Walkers wandered the woods while the Runners maintained the Lair, the Walkers eventually returning for food or just for mingling; Walkers, like humans, were creatures that ran in packs, even the Runners.

Runners were rare. They were more intelligent than Walkers and held their human soul from not dying from their Walker attack that gave them the infection, giving them a conscience. They were still dangerous, though, whether they meant it or not; there were plenty of Runner attacks to confirm that, and it made it impossible for us to raid the stores for supplies that they gravitated around. Walkers on the other hand were the stereotypical zombie, dragging their feet and grunting and groaning; they died before the infection took over their body, their soul already going wherever while for the Runners they're still trapped within their damned, carnivorous bodies.

I sighed, still perched up on my hill as I tried to regain my strength so I could go down to the pond. The pond was really just an overgrown park, just west of the Lair and south of my Hill, a dangerous but crucial place as it supplied us all with water. Slowly my energy refilled itself and I got up on shaky legs, carefully going to the edge of the hill where I spun and lowered myself down, hands grasping the roots and toes finding tiny ledges to put my weight on. The flat ground was welcoming as I half stumbled backwards onto it, drowsy from having slept in that log. Shouldn't the others be looking for me? I was out with Norway to try and raid one of the stores for medicine when we were found by some Walkers, and despite their name they could _sprint_. Norway and I got separated, and damn it all he should have known where I'd be. Everyone knew of my Hill, they knew it was safe, so if they ever needed to find me they could just come and climb up to say 'hi'.

_'Maybe the Walker got him…'_ A nagging voice spoke up, and I bit my lip. Norway would never get caught, he had his summoning magic to keep him safe, and he was almost as… dare I say _graceful_ as I was. Our agility was great and we could scale trees like nothing, let alone jump over logs or boulders or clamber atop of them for shelter. There was _no way_ he could have gotten caught.

Huffing out a breath into the chilly air I adjusted the collar of my coat so it was comfortable around my neck, and I walked forward, a strange… feeling on my waist but I had no idea what it was. It wasn't _hurting_ but there was still a weird _pained_ feeling, as if it was numbed but it wasn't quite potent enough to destroy every bit of pain. I scowled at it and tried to ignore the feeling, being careful to quiet down each of my footsteps as I treaded down toward the pond. When I reached it the dark water it was calm and reflecting the stars in the sky. Despite the lateness ducks swam in the water, ducking their heads to gather up food before rising back up to shake their heads free of the stubborn droplets that didn't slide off their oily feathers, oblivious to the nightmare that lurked in the same valley they resided; I was envious of that. Quietly I huffed and crept up to the water's edge, kneeling down on my knees to drink the clear water and then wash off my face. The water was cold and refreshing, not to mention it woke me up right quick. Relaxing and waiting I looked in the water until it settled, the ripples dying down until I could see a clear picture within the shallow depths.

My face was pale and my lavender eyes were foggy, but I blamed it on the cold and the fact I had just woken up so early; my silver hair was in tossles around my head with dried blood and dirt coating my face with a small Band-Aid on my forehead, a small token of affection I got from Denmark when I managed to fall out of tree. I tried to tidy my hair so it would lie flat, figuring it wouldn't hurt to look rather nice even if we were in a life or death situation; and of course I didn't need Norway fretting and poking at my hair, especially not licking his thumbs and then wiping them on my face to clean it off.

Wrinkling my nose at the thought I got up from the pond and staggered toward the direction of the Base, hoping no Walkers would be in the woods tonight. I hunched over and began creeping through the brush, trying to remain hidden, though that was difficult with my chin-length silver hair that stood out like a polar bear in a dark room. Crickets chirped in the wood, owls hooted, followed by the pounding of wings and a shrill squeal before the beating continued and faded away. The darkness was suffocating and yet I didn't mind; I was used to the dark as my country sometimes went without any sun for a day, sometimes only having moments where the sun barely peeks over the horizon, teasing and taunting before it lowered again, hiding away from me with its life-giving light.

Trying to quicken my pace I noticed I felt like I had no energy. I was cold, feeling nauseas yet hungry, and my waist felt no different from before. Annoyed with the irritation I huffed and stopped walking, tugging up my coat and shirt to look at my torso, revealing a pool of red that smothered my abdomen. My breathing hitched when I saw the crimson and searched for the source, finding an arched pattern of tiny splits in the skin that I investigated it with my fingers, making sure it was the wound that I sought that was leaving the bloody splotch. When my fingertips touched the bloody marks pain jumped up my ribs and made me jolt. Quickly I tugged my shirt back down and tried to hurry up so I could get back to Base. Where'd the wound come from? I couldn't remember at all… all I could remember was running through the woods with Norway, my brother suddenly vanishing in the brush while I tried to get to my Hill, managing to get there but everything then went fuzzy… a vague memory of me collapsing in the make-shift nest between the log-halves, falling asleep almost the second I hit the mossy bed.

I decided to run through the brush, deciding if a Walker found me they wouldn't be able to catch up to me and catch me. The long grasses and the bushes grazed my shins, shuffling and rustling with every leaf that was affected by my movements. Suddenly something darted in front of me, and I screamed and fell backwards onto my rear, barely getting a moment to look up before it seemed I was being possessed. I got up to my feet and lunged forward, a man before me screaming as I reached out to grab him, his eyes widened and I could see my reflection in them. Suddenly my mouth opened on its own and I gave an unearthly growl, hands fighting with his to grasp his face or neck. He panicked and stumbled backwards, leaving himself vulnerable, which I took advantage of without meaning to.

My fingers grasped his shoulder and pushed him down as the other grabbed ahold of his face, nails digging into his cheek and beside his eye, but I couldn't get myself to stop. Something was controlling me! Another growl left my lips and drool trickled down my chin, and suddenly I moved forward and bit onto the side of his neck. A bloodcurdling scream escaped him and I couldn't stop from moving my head backwards, teeth still clamped onto the man's flesh and skin so it tore away. The flesh was dragged into my stomach, the metallic taste of blood clinging to my tongue, and my body greedily desired more, biting onto his flesh repeatedly before stripping it away, his screams becoming more pained and shriller than I could ever imagine, even in my most horrific nightmares. Warm blood ran down my chin and down my own throat while it drenched his own neck, spreading to his chest and arms as I began to move my assault to more favourable spots, the taste disgusting yet desirable. His screams were silenced when my hands clawed through the man's chest with smooth motions, tearing at his heart and ending his life.

Inside my mind it was chaos. Screaming and terror acted as background noise to the horrible noises I was making. Questions were screamed in my head but nothing came back to answer them, and I was left in the dark in the middle of a numb and senseless body that had a mind of its own. I continued to bite away at the flesh, picking his ribs clean before getting to other bones, stripping them of flesh before my mind seemed to regain its control over my body, now bored of the lack of life. Instantly I tore myself away from the body, toppling backwards against a tree before slowly sliding onto the ground, trembling uncontrollably and unable to move from my spot. Light squeaks left my throat, whispery and almost inaudible, broken up by terror and fear. The warmth that stuck to my face, hands, and the feeling of _something_ crammed under my nails made me want to tear open my stomach to try and rid my body of the flesh of a human being, but my stomach refused to though my mind tried pressuring it to do flips.

The corpse was strewn in front of me, plant matter barely covering the carnage that was left of the man. His eyes were wide open and staring upward into the sky, partially rolled back in death; my mind started coming up with things to make the predicament even _worse._ He probably had a family, either here or at home, and they would never even know he was dead. He would have just _vanished_, never to be seen or heard from again while they spent their time waiting for him to return. He was probably a son who made his parents proud, or maybe his mother was widowed and only had him left. My thoughts drifted to Norway and Denmark… then it remembered what world I was living in, a world of Walkers and Runners, and a memory flashed into my mind.

I was running through the woods, already lost Norway as another Walker sprinted after him, and I had one on my tail still pursuing me. I got to my Hill and I jumped up, hands tightly grabbing onto the roots; but I was exhausted and hesitated before clambering up the steep sides and the Walker caught me. It grabbed my hip and the opposite side of my torso while its teeth sunk into my waist. I screamed and wriggled out of its hold before reaching for my gun, turning halfway around and shooting it in the head, ending its pathetic life and watching it fall to the ground, expression left unchanged as a hideous snarl surrounded by rotting skin and dried blood. I dropped the gun then, having used up my last bullet, and I climbed to the top of the Hill without processing that I was just _bitten_, not fatally, either.

My breathing quickened and I checked my wound again, finding the bleeding clotted but slightly leaking the ruby red droplets, darkened by night and age. The wound was in the shape of a C, each of the points were where teeth had sunk into flesh, already having festered and become rotten; it was obvious I was beyond any treatment if it existed. My skin on the side of my waist, once pale and rather flawless was now changed into a horrible array of blacks, blues, and sickening greens, blotching the canvas of skin until it resembled a rotting corpse, and smelling just as bad. Disgusted I pulled back down my shirt and coat, hands still quivering even when I tried to use them to lift me off the ground, legs tingling with numbness and stumbling forward like a Walker. I still had my mind… yet the sight or even smell of a human made me chaotic… I was a Runner, then, and that would probably help me, I decided. I could keep well away from the Base and find a way to break it to Norway so he wouldn't be out looking for me.

Wait… no Norway would still be looking for me, Runner or not, I decided, trying to stumble away from the corpse with resistant legs, wanting to just sit down and rest from the rush I had just encountered. Dammit, I needed a gun! Not for Walkers, of course, I was worth nothing to them now. It was for me, so I could at least end my afterlife so I wouldn't hurt anyone else and Norway would never know of this curse I was subjected to.

The brush was loud when I crashed through it, half stumbling and half walking to get as far away from the Base as I could. All that progress was now a disadvantage and I had more of a chance of being found by other nations or a human, so I would have to find a new place to hide away. The Hill was a no-no, Norway and the others knew that was where I hid and where they could find me if I wasn't at Base. The other side of the pond could work; it was open space without many trees, horrible for humans but great for Walkers; I could just hide out somewhere around there, or maybe on the east side of the Lair, no one had really checked over there, apparently it was full of Walkers that got stuck on the bad side of a fence or something.

I heard the flapping of wings again but I ignored it, assuming it was a raven or an owl as I tried to get away from the base. It was easy to tell which way I was going with the mountains and lights; if I was heading toward the lights it was going east, if it was opposite it'd be west, going toward the taller mountains was north, and going toward the lower horizon was south. A balancing act filled in the holes of the primitive compass but it was effective, every location was within the valley so it was easy to find anything here. The beating wings returned and I saw something small go over head, the sound faded then returned and I saw it again. It was following me and I could tell; I scowled at it and tried to get under some thicker trees but to no avail, it flew overhead and went in circles around the trunk of the tree before landing on a branch, appearing to flap its somewhat transparent wings, then taking off to fly back to where I was retreating from. Dammit, it was probably one of England's or Norway's creatures, and that meant they were close behind me.

Grimacing I ran forward, using my arms as much as my legs to keep my balance between trees, and to match the sounds of plants crashing I also heard it behind me, echoing my steps and gaining speed. They were faster than me and more agile, and that terrified me. Panic made me breathe faster and I scrambled blindly, immediately tripping over a log and falling forward, feeling fingers clasp around my arm and pull me back; I shut my eyes and stopped my breathing, not wanting to endanger whoever was there.

"Island, there you are! Are you hurt?" It was Norway's voice, and I felt his fingers touch my face and his thumb run running across my cheek. "I was so worried; I went to tha Base and you weren't there so I checked the Hill and you weren't there, either. I found your gun and a dead Walker so I was even more worried… and-" His finger traced my chin and I quivered, wanting him to leave me alone in the woods so he wouldn't get hurt, "Island, is that blood?" His hand left my face and I could picture him rubbing the blood between his finger and thumb, a strained and pondering expression on his face with his eyebrows knitted in deep concentration. "Are you hurt? We need to get ya back to Base right now."

I shook my head frantically and pointed down to my waist, still not opening my eyes in fear that if I let my instincts know that it was a human in front of me I would attack my own brother. Norway's hands reached down and pulled up my shirt and coat, and I heard him make a choked noise, fingers tenderly touching my wound. I didn't jump away; it didn't hurt too badly; but I could feel him starting to shake.

"… Emil…" he cautiously wrapped his arms around me and squeezed me, but I refused to return it out of fear that I'd somehow harm him. "Emil are… are you infected?" I nodded. "Damn… I'll… We'll think of somethin', akay? Come on, I'll take ya back t'the Base and we'll try to help you."

"No." I said bluntly, and I could hear that he was shaken up by it.

"What are we gonna do, then?" His voice was shaking, and I couldn't tell if his cheeks would be moist or not. "I don't… I don't wanna kill ya, Emil. Japan's been playin' with the infection and might have some sort of treatment… it's not a cure but it might help…"

I shook my head more frantically and tears started welling up in my eyes, but I didn't want to start crying because I would need to breath to produce sobs, and I didn't want anything that would trigger the instinctual response of blind rage. Norway pulled away from me and took my face in his hands, tilting it up slightly so I guessed I'd be looking at him.

"Open your eyes…" he said quietly, and I bit my bottom lip, tears already spilling down the curve of my cheek. "Emil, open your eyes." It was a demand this time, not a request.

Cautiously I barely opened one, desperately wanting for my instincts to remain buried. Hopefully with my stomach now full it would keep the Walker part of me content. My eyes were unfocused so I could only see a dark silhouette that sat in its own darkness, the shadow of Norway slowly beginning to fix itself as my eyes adjusted. Soon I could see his face perfectly; indigo eyes were shiny and moist as tears ran down his cheeks, mouth turned into a slight frown and eyebrows tilted to look worried; his hair was messy with his cross missing as well, not to mention it was filthy with dirt and whatever else we had been rolling in for the past few weeks. His expression even went darker when I opened my eyes wide enough, and I guessed it was because they were glazed over, a sign of death. He pulled my head forward a little before he gave me a light kiss on the forehead, pulling me closer and cradling me in his arms as he slightly rocked us, and I could hear him sniffling every few moments. He had just lost his brother… he knew it even if he didn't want to believe it.

"You're still Emil… it's okay…" He whispered quietly, and I was even closer to breaking down. Tears spilled faster and I threw my arms around him, letting the tears soak into his clothing, a twitch beginning to form in my cheek, probably from being so close to a living person.

I could hear his heart thumping in his chest, and hear the sound of him silently begging the gods to help me, to turn me to normal so we could banish this night from our memory and continue our attempt at escaping this damned valley. If only the government would let us out it'd be so much simpler! I wouldn't be in this mess and Norway wouldn't have to deal with it!

We sat like that in the grass, trying to remain quiet in case there were Walkers about, but it still felt like there were more people in the small area of wood than us. I pulled away from Norway, still trying to resist the mental urge to breathe, and I looked up into his eyes, begging that he would just let me go without saying anything and disappear into the forest without me asking him to; words required air, and the air in my lungs needed to be replenished between each word, and I couldn't afford that. Something rustled beside us and we both turned to look, and I let out a shout when I saw a sudden flush of light rise from the brush. The lights started to part into separate balls, transparent looking wings sprouting from each of them, and despite the fairies' harmlessness it still surprised me enough to forget about my current dilemma.

A breath of air rushed into my lungs, and before Norway could even relax a single muscle I was already turned and onto him. A snarl escaped from my throat as I lunged at him, and he screamed when he hit the ground, using his palms to keep my face away from him. I mentally begged for myself to stop, to leave Norway alone and to avoid hurting or killing him, but it wouldn't listen, the hunger for flesh too strong. His hand was pushing on my cheek to keep my jaws off of him, but my head twisted on its neck to snap at his fingers, drool running down my lip and chin and dropping off regularly. Norway screamed some more, and I didn't know if it was to alert others to us, to relieve the fear in his chest, or in attempt to get me to stop.

My numb hands finally found their way to Norway's face, and I mentally screamed at them to cease and for me to just run off into the woods, but it didn't happen. My nails clawed at Norway's face, leaving scratched on his skin while one hand latched its fingers around my brother's throat, repeatedly dragging the elegantly long appendages down his neck and down his chest, unsuccessful at tearing through his clothing. The assault continued and I was still fighting with his hands. Norway cried out for his troll to help him but his cry when unanswered for whatever reason; no one heard his screams so no one came to separate us, leaving Norway to the mercy of my attack. His hand slipped and I bent down while he tried to pull away, my teeth latching onto his ear, my body shaking it like a terrier with a small toy. Norway shrieked, a horrible noise that I could never fathom to come out of his mouth, the taste of blood swarming my mouth. My fingernails finally broke through his skin to make an impression; Norway's squirming intensifying as he tried to kicking me off to no avail; I was too thin and too low to the ground for his long legs to bend underneath me to propel me off with a simple kick. My jaws released him momentarily, and he managed to roll onto his stomach and scramble forward on his hands and knees, but I dropped my weight onto his back before he could get too far, one of my hands reaching around to cover his eyes and grasp his skull while the other kept myself stable by pressing on his shoulder, in turn pinning him partially down to the earth. My mouth opened again, more drool dripping from my teeth before I bit his neck, tearing away some of the skin and flesh as he screamed and continued to try and wriggle away from me.

Continuously attacking the base of his neck and the top of his spine he eventually went limp with a loud crack when my teeth clamped down on his neck, his screams dying out, leaving me crouched on top of him, lips and teeth dripping with his blood. The lack of movement and the lack of life in his eyes made my instinct grow bored and bury itself deep within my own flesh, hidden away from the world and any other eyes. I sprung off of Norway and instantly rolled him onto his back, checking for a pulse but not finding anything besides a terrifying stillness that would've made my heart stop if it wasn't already still.

His eyes were wide open and blank, face still damp from tears and one ear mauled beyond repair, and I knew everything was destroyed now. I really had nothing left after this, not even my own life or innocence. I sat in silence for a moment, childishly expecting Norway to magically return to life and get up, but I knew it wouldn't happen deep down. I began trembling again, and my bloody hands rising up to either side of my face, bottom lip shaking and trembling and my eyes widening gradually.

I scream tore through my throat then, completely out of my control. It echoed through the woods and bounced off the mountains, and I couldn't stop it. My head tilted back and more screams ripped out, my fingers grabbing ahold of my silver locks of hair in some sort of desperate attempt to keep my sanity. I couldn't recall how long I screamed when it was all over, and I was left a trembling mess, collapsing beside Norway so I was lying beside him, holding onto myself for dear life as if I were freezing cold. I wouldn't be able to take this in the long run, even if I made it passed this now.

Slowly I managed to sit up, and I noticed Norway's gun hanging on his belt in its holster, and I wondered why Norway didn't use it against me in my blind rage. I reached over with shaky hands and tried to pull it out of the holster, a little difficult with how badly I was trembling, but I got it out after a few minutes of struggling. I held it up and inspected it. It was a revolver, something like what America would have, and I checked it for ammo with a simple click.

The gun was full of glimmering bullets, each ready to be shot and ready to kill.

Taking a deep breath I brought the shaft of the gun to my head and closed my eyes, peeking to look at Norway again. He was bitten… even if he were dead now he would rise as a Walker soon, and I couldn't subject that on anyone else, even if he didn't rise as a Runner, like me. I took the gun from my scalp and instead pointed it at Norway's skull, trying to avoid his face as much as possible, the gun shivering as I tried to pick a place. Deciding on the spot just above his mauled ear I closed my eyes and turned my head before pulling the trigger. The shot rang out and then the world went silent; I tried gathering the courage to reopen my eyes, finding Norway's head moved but nothing much else being changed, other than the bleeding hole in the side of his skull.

So Norway was taken care of… now it was my turn.

I took the gun up to my own skull and closed my eyes, taking in a deep breath before reopening my eyes to look at the world one last time. Despite the fact I knew it wouldn't hurt I was still afraid… what would happen after I did this? The thought was terrifying but I couldn't just back away from it. I bit the inside of my cheek before clenching my eyes shut and pulling the trigger.

The gun didn't fire.

Cursing under my breath I tried to fix the gun, hearing people out in the woods as they crashed through the brush, obviously looking for someone as they were calling out names, to be more specific they were calling for Norway and me. I looked up from the gun and panic flooded me, and after a few panicked, desperate attempts to fix it I got the gun to look like it was going to work. I put it to my head again, and this time pulled the trigger without hesitation, knowing it was going to be painless and expecting for something else to go wrong.

I had just barely seen Denmark appear from between the trees when the shot rang out.


End file.
